Arch Manning had the opportunity to follow his grandfather Archie and uncle Eli to Ole Miss. He could have followed in the footsteps of his other uncle, Peyton, and played at Tennessee. He was given an open line to join the greatest college football dynasty of all time at Alabama. He also could have linked up with the defending champions at Georgia. Instead, Manning opted to write his own legacy. 

With his first-ever tweet, Arch Manning, No. 1 overall quarterback in the Class of 2023 and arguably the highest-profile prospect in the history of recruiting, committed to Texas. Given his famous name and perfect 1.0000 recruiting score, Manning’s pledge brings the Burnt Orange back to the front of the national stage. 

That 1.0000 rating in the 247Sports Composite is the most prestigious mark in recruiting. Only seven players, three of whom were quarterbacks, received that perfect score in the metric. All three of those quarterbacks quarterbacks — Vince Young, Quinn Ewers and now Manning — played or will play at the University of Texas. If Manning eventually signs and Ewers sticks around, the “perfect” pair will be teammates on the Longhorns’ 2023 roster. 

Perhaps most important to Manning, though, is the timing. As a member of the 2023 class, he will almost certainly be the starting quarterback at Texas when the Longhorns enter the SEC, which is slated to happen for the 2025 season. If everything works out, Manning will have an opportunity to be a transformational talent in the vein of Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M. That’s something neither Alabama nor Georgia could possibly offer. 

Granted, neither Ewers nor Manning have thrown a collegiate pass. And out of the five prior perfect recruits, four never won a national championship: Robert Nkemdiche, Jadeveon Clowney, Rashan Gary and Ernie Sims. None of them were quarterbacks, of course, and Young left Austin, Texas, as one of the most legendary signal-callers in history.

With his famous name and a historic rating behind him, Manning will have those expectations thrust upon him from the start. 

Texas faces critical recruiting time

With Manning aboard, expect Texas recruiting to supercharge, especially on offense. The Longhorns are prioritizing five-star wide receiver Johntay Cook II and four-star running back Cedric Baxter Jr.. Manning’s high school teammate, Will Randle, is already aboard as a three-star tight end recruit.